Yvette Cooper Tells Radio 4 Today It's Time For 'Silenced' Women To 'Reclaim The Internet'

Labour MP Yvette Cooper is calling for women to "reclaim the internet", comparing increasing levels on social media abuse to harassment and stalking which had left females to be "silenced" online.

Calling for a mind shift on the trolling of women similar to the debate around domestic violence 30 years ago, the former cabinet minster told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday there is "persistent, co-ordinated abuse" which can make young women in particular feel as though they need to "censor" themselves for fear of being bullied.

Addressing the challenges in tackling the problem, Cooper said that it is important to change the "culture" around online abuse, pointing to how the mainstream debate around domestic violence had evolved in the past three decades.

Yvette Cooper speaking about her report on internet trolling on Today

The former Labour leadership contender said that, although the internet can be a force for promoting discussion and holding powerful people to account, it can become a problem when some voices are driven out of the debate.

Cooper said: "The real concern is is that young women in particular end up feeling they have to censor themselves on social media because of the abuse they are going to get."

She said an area of concern is where you get "persistent, co-ordinated abuse that is effectively a form of stalking or harassment", highlighting that this would not be tolerated in our day-to-day lives, yet it is on social media.

Cooper's call comes after a series of high profiled cases which saw women being targeted online because of their views.

Following the vote on whether to launch airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria, a number of Labour MPs were trolled online.

Phillips said: "More than the violent, threatening and blatant misogyny, the worst element of this is the "shut up" bit.

"The "shut up bitch" is working.

"Women are shutting up. Not because they are scared, not because they believe the threats but because it is so tiring that whenever you speak you face hatred because of the make up of your chromosomes."

Cooper urged women to report abuse they receive online to the police, adding that such threats of harassment and violence would not be tolerated in "real" life and should not be acceptable on the internet.

She also said that cultural attitudes need to be addressed, as police may not be fully "equipped" to deal with the situation.

She said: "Think about to the debate on domestic violence. Maybe 20 [or] 30 years ago it was still acceptable to go in mainstream debates to make a joke about slapping your wife. It's not now.

"And that sort of thing has changed. It's made it easier for people to come forward."

Speaking earlier in the show about her report on internet trolls, Cooper said: "In our daily lives we... wouldn't tolerated threats of violence or intimidation or misogyny or homophobia or racism and too often that is silencing people on social media."

"We have to reclaim the internet." @YvetteCooperMP takes on the trolls. Listen to her report at 0720

In the past she has said that "sexist abuse is also increasingly masquerading as political activism", pointing to trolling directed at individuals during the Labour leadership contest and General Election.